Calamity Out of Nowhere

Song Wen recalled the Sacred Beetle Gu guarding the perimeter, dismantled the formation, destroyed the temporary cave abode, and sailed towards the market.

Before he Foundation Establishment, when he left the market, he went to see Zhao Dapeng, paid six months' rent, and explained that he would be leaving for a while, but the courtyard should be preserved.

Perhaps it was Song Wen's prior notice that made a difference, because when he returned, the courtyard had not been rented out.

Stepping into the courtyard, Song Wen used wind Law Technique to sweep away the dust and fallen leaves, then sat down on a chair in the courtyard for a short rest.

Suddenly, a series of urgent knocks on the door startled Song Wen.

Song Wen's eyes turned cold. He had already sensed that there were three strangers in the alley outside.

He assumed the three were just passing by and didn't pay them any attention, never expecting they were there to find him.

These people arrived right after I stepped inside; it was obvious someone was watching me.

Before Song Wen could even get up, he went to open the courtyard gate.

The person knocking on the door seemed very impatient, kicking the gate so hard that the wooden door shattered into pieces.

Among the three people outside the door, the leader was a tall body cultivator at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

The burly cultivator strode into the Small Courtyard, saw Song Wen sitting leisurely in a chair, his eyes fierce, and said sternly.

"You're Zhang Cheng?"

Song Wen frowned slightly. He had never met this person before, and there was no enmity between them.

However, the other party's arrogant behavior and domineering manner made Song Wen very uncomfortable.

Song Wen said coldly.

"Who are you, and why are you trespassing into my courtyard?"

The burly cultivator took two steps forward, staring at Song Wen was still sitting in the chair.

"A Qi Refining Sixth Layer of Rogue Cultivator doesn't need so many questions. You just need to answer whether it's Zhang Cheng or not."

Song Wen stood up from his chair, brushed off non-existent dust from his clothes, and remained calm.

"It seems you've come to cause me trouble. This is East Birch Market, under the jurisdiction of the Beast Taming Sect. You should think carefully, as the market enforcement team is not far from here."

The burly cultivator snorted coldly, his face full of disdain.

"Using the law enforcement team to intimidate me? What a joke! Our Su Clan of Clearpeace Mountain, taking away a Qi Refining Stage Rogue Cultivator from the market, do you think the Beast Taming Sect would hold us accountable?"

Song Wen frowned deeply.

The Su Clan of Clearpeace Mountain!

I've never had any dealings with this cultivation Lineage before, so why are they specifically asking for me by name?

Oh, right!

Ai Kun did go to the Su Clan; could this matter be related to him?

While Song Wen was pondering, the burly cultivator was also observing Song Wen with a look of doubt on his face. He whispered in a voice that only Song Wen and he could hear.

"Didn't you say you cultivated the Longevity Art? Why don't you have the aura of the Longevity Art on you?"

"Do you have a way to conceal your aura? Then your true cultivation level must be more than just the Qi Refining Sixth Layer!"

As he spoke the last sentence, a barely perceptible hint of joy flashed across the burly cultivator's face.

He waved to the two men behind him, "Arrest him alive. If he resists, cripple him."

As soon as he finished speaking, two cultivators at the eighth level of Qi Refinement behind him pounced on Song Wen.

Song Wen looked calmly at the two people rushing towards him.

The Cold Moon Blade within his Dantian trembled slightly, poised to strike!

Since these three so-called members of the Su Clan are courting death, Song Wen has no choice but to grant their wish.

However, the burly man who had just kicked down the courtyard gate had already attracted the attention of many neighbors, who were now standing around watching in the alley outside the gate.

"It seems I can't use the identity of 'Talisman Master Zhang Cheng' anymore," Song Wen thought to himself.

If he kills the three people in front of him, his identity will definitely be exposed.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed two different figures among the crowd outside—they were none other than members of the market enforcement team.

The Su Clan's arrest of people was tacitly approved by the law enforcement team!

Killing the three members of the Su Clan was easy, and killing two members of the enforcement team was also easy.

However, the members of the enforcement team have emergency contact methods. Killing the three members of the Su Clan means that he has become an enemy of the enforcement team and will be surrounded by them. The enforcement team has a large number of Foundation Establishment cultivators and Golden Core elders stationed in the market.

Suppressing his killing intent, Song Wen stood still, allowing the two Su Clan cultivators to approach.

"Can you tell me where you're taking me?"

Seeing that Song Wen did not resist, the burly man began to cultivate Daoism.

"You're quite sensible."

He glanced at the Rogue Cultivator behind him, and perhaps not wanting to tarnish the Su Clan's reputation, he raised his voice and explained loudly.

"Rest assured, our Su Clan has no ill intentions towards you. We simply see that you have a good talent for talismanic arts and wish to invite you to join our Su Clan as a talisman master."

"Our Su Clan is eager to recruit talented individuals, and we have invited quite a few independent Rogue Cultivator this time. To show our regard for you, the Su Clan has specially dispatched a large spaceship to pick you up. The spaceship is parked about ten miles east of the market."

Song Wen's lips twitched; he didn't believe a single word the other party said.

Is it possible for someone to be so rude and overbearing?

Was it really worth the Su Clan going to such lengths to hire someone when I was just a talisman master who could only draw Flying Talisman and basic talismans?

However, after listening to what the other party said, Song Wen had a plan in mind.

Since the spaceship is outside the market, let's wait until we're outside before making our move; then escaping will be easier.

Seeing that Song Wen did not resist, the Su Clan did not forcibly take him away.

The burly cultivator summoned a flying boat, lightly leaped onto it, and shouted something.

"Take away!"

The other two took Song Wen and boarded the flying boat.

The airship took off and quickly reached an altitude of 100 meters.

At this moment, a chain appeared in the hands of the burly cultivator. The chain moved like a snake, and in an instant, it bound Song Wen.

"What are you doing?" Song Wen struggled a few times, but the chains didn't budge.

Song Wen stared at the burly cultivator with a face full of anger, his eyes blazing with fury, looking exactly like someone who had been deceived but was powerless to do anything about it.

The burly, physically imposing man stared at Song Wen and gave a disdainful smile.

"Idiot!"

After saying that, he stopped paying attention to Song Wen and focused on controlling the flying boat, heading out of the market.

A moment later, the flying boat left the market.

From afar, a large ship, over fifty meters long, could be seen hovering in the air more than ten miles away from the market. A large black flag, embroidered with gold and silver, was hung on the mast of the ship.

As the spaceship drew ever closer, Song Wen pondered to himself.

We cannot board the spaceship. Such a large spaceship must have many powerful figures on board.

Being so close to the market, and not daring to use any corpse-related methods, once on the spaceship, escaping would be difficult.

After leaving the market town for several miles, Song Wen suddenly mustered all his strength and struggled violently.

The chains of the Law Artifact instantly shattered and broke into several pieces.

The sound of breaking chains instantly alerted the three of them.

Before they could make a move, a cold, sharp glint flashed and disappeared.

Almost simultaneously, the three felt dizzy, and when they saw their own bodies severed at the neck, they realized:

He was beheaded!

Zhang Cheng wasn't some Qi Refining Stage Rogue Cultivator at all; he was a Foundation Establishment expert!

Then, everything went dark, and my consciousness gradually faded away.

A bolt of lightning surged from Song Wen's body, transforming him into a human-shaped lightning bolt as he charged directly into the dense forest below.

The sudden change was immediately noticed by the Su Clan members on the large ship.

One Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, two at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, and three members of the Su Clan took to their swords and pursued Song Wen.

Song Wen, who had darted into the dense forest, continued to use his Thunder Escape Technique, rapidly traversing the forest, bypassing the location of the airship, and heading in a direction far away from the market.

The Thunder Escape Technique was very fast, and the three people in the sky were quickly left behind.

Seeing that he couldn't catch up with Song Wen, the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator from the Su Clan produced a sword-shaped Jade Slip in his hand and gripped it tightly.

The Jade Slip shattered!

A giant sword of spiritual energy, tens of meters long, appeared in mid-air.

The Su Clan cultivator shouted softly, "Slay!"

The giant sword, like a dragon in flight, sliced through the white clouds and arrived above Song Wen's Song Wen in the blink of an eye, slashing straight down at him.

Looking at the terrifying giant sword above, Song Wen dared not take it head-on. This giant sword of spiritual energy was at least equivalent to a full-force attack from Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator.

Crackling with electricity, Song Wen changed direction and charged out diagonally.

"Boom!"

The giant sword landed on the ground, causing the earth to tremble, rocks to fly, and a series of booming sounds.

A surge of violent residual force swept outwards in all directions.

Song Wen barely dodged the giant sword's slash. A green Great Lu enveloped him, blocking the impact of the remaining force, but he was also swept up by the force and accelerated forward.

The sound of the giant sword falling was so great that it could be clearly heard in the market several miles away.

Several miles away, in a cave abode atop a Xiao Shan, a beautiful Daoist nun, over forty years old and with a plump figure, opened her eyes.

Those eyes were bright and deep, like a bottomless lake.

She was the Golden Core expert sent by the Beast Taming Sect to guard East Birch Market.